The VVA Veteran, a publication of Vietnam Veterans of America

Vietnam Veterans of America

July/August 2021

Taps

BY FATHER PHIL SALOIS, M.S.

FATHER PHIL SALOIS, M.S. We regret the necessity of running only the most basic obituaries in The VVA Veteran. However, full, detailed, and expansive obituaries—going back to 2009—are online at www.vva.org/taps.html

Donald Vernell Aamodt, 84, Iowa Chapter 790, died May 21, 2020.

Joaquin Enrique Aguilar, 71, California Chapter 201, died March 9.

Kenneth Ray Akins, 74, Tennessee Chapter 1078, died March 8.

Danny Ray Atkins, 73, Indiana Chapter 71, died February 7.

Herman Henry Aufforth, 67, North Dakota Chapter 487, died December 18, 2017.

Darryl L. Baker, 68, California Chapter 702, died recently.

Robert John Bambury, 81, Florida Chapter 23, died April 13.

Donald William Barry, Sr., 74, New York Chapter 268, died March 23.

Clifford E. Bauer, 73, Ohio Chapter 954, died November 14, 2020.

Larry Matthews Beadle, 76, Tennessee Chapter 1140, died February 2.

Robert Allen Beaver, 80, Wisconsin Chapter 729, died March 28.

Larry Eugene Becker, 85, Oklahoma Chapter 751, died April 13.

Paul J. Bergerson, Sr., 75, Massachusetts Chapter 111, died May 7.

Mary Alice Bernstein, 92, Pennsylvania Chapter 862, died April 20.

Lawrence A. Biro, 76, South Carolina Chapter 780, died January 29.

Luther Allen Bittinger, 75, Maryland Chapter 172, died March 12.

David T. Blosser, 76, Ohio Chapter 954, died March 3.

Ralph David Bolduc, 70, Massachusetts Chapter 907, died April 22.

Michael Lee Borg, 76, Wisconsin Chapter 351, died April 25.

Charles Ronald Bostwick, 69, New York Chapter 803, died June 4, 2020.

Leon Samuel Boyd, 84, at-large South Carolina, died August 10, 2020.

Delvin Don Bren, 69, South Dakota Chapter 1054, died August 22, 2020.

Tyrone H. Brown, 78, Arizona Chapter 1093, died January 19.

Richard J. Burdick, 74, Texas Chapter 931, died August 15, 2020.

Robert Patrick Carroll, Jr., 78, at-large Texas, died December 24, 2018.

Francis Daniel Casey, 77, Rhode Island Chapter 818 and Delaware Chapter 1105, died April 15.

Charles Philip Cassidy, 83, Tennessee Chapter 1123, died February 14.

Dale Leary Cheney, 68, Georgia Chapter 970, died January 15.

Joseph Frank Chesko, Sr., 66, Oklahoma Chapter 751, died May 3.

Denzel LeJeune Clark, 91, Alabama Chapter 301, died May 26.

William Harold Cloughly, 73, Virginia Chapter 957, died March 24.

Edward Alonzo Cordova, 72, Texas Chapter 1000, died April 18.

John Gilbert Crawford, 68, Kentucky Chapter 868, died November 1, 2020.

James Floyd Creech, 75, South Carolina Chapter 828, died March 16.

Dan Barton Crittendon, 79, Tennessee Chapter 1004, died April 18.

Asa E. Culver, 85, Florida Chapter 1080, died November 4, 2020.

Raymond Mario Cusato, 73, New York Chapter 32, died February 13.

Danny J. Daebelliehn, 74, Illinois Chapter 299, died March 25.

Carol Elaine Davis, 78, Georgia Chapter 671, died February 9.

Paul Francis Defibaugh, 75, Maryland Chapter 172, died January 25.

Thomas G. Del Giorno, Jr., 74, Philadelphia Chapter 266, died May 17, 2020.

Edmund Lincoln (Ned) Devereaux III, 80, died March 4. The former Oregon State Council president was an avid student of history and a dedicated veterans advocate. He belonged to several veterans organizations, but was closest to the 2nd Cavalry Association and edited its newsletter, The Thoroughbred.

Daniel Diridoni, 73, Nevada Chapter 388, died March 24.

Gary Paul Divelbliss, 71, Maryland Chapter 172, died December 10, 2020.

Charles Douglas Doty, Sr., 90, Tennessee Chapter 1078, died April 28, 2020.

John M. Dowd, 71, New Jersey Chapter 12, died April 2.

Garland Warner Dula, Jr., 70, Delaware Chapter 850, died January 8, 2020.

Duane F. Evanchuk, 78, Florida Chapter 23, died March 18.

Joseph Anthony Fernandez, 79, Alabama Chapter 373, died March 30.

Antony Frank Ferrucci, Jr., 76, Washington Chapter 102, died February 1.

Gary Lee Foster, 71, Illinois Chapter 669, died March 14.

Ernest Robert Frappier, 73, Rhode Island Chapter 818, died May 7.

Steven K. Frisbee, Sr., 71, New York Chapter 20, died April 13.

Michael Bernard Gano, 71, Illinois Chapter 299, March 1.

Carl Steven Gerg, 68, Pennsylvania Chapter 720, died April 2.

Janie Addle Gooding, 75, Florida Chapter 1059, died February 28.

Gordon Ellis Grant, 88, Virginia Chapter 227, died March 5.

Carl A. Gray, 66, Indiana Chapter 71, died April 22.

James Harold Grimm, 75, Idaho Chapter 972, died March 26.

Charles Chris Hagemeister, 74, Kansas Chapter 75, died May 19.

Carl Emil Halfter, Jr., 75, Maryland Chapter 965, died July 7, 2020.

Lawrence Albert Hammond, 72, Illinois Chapter 299, died December 5, 2020.

Kenneth Boyd Hamons, 72, West Virginia Chapter 1100, died April 24.

William E. Heinrich, 76, New York Chapter 20, died April 4.

Nickolas Heleg-Greza, 73, Illinois Chapter 299, died October 4, 2020.

Donald Fitzgerald Hemphill, 74, Louisiana Chapter 1131, died April 24.

Joseph Michael Henderson, 73, Pennsylvania Chapter 590, died April 6.

Solly L. Hendrixson, 71, Michigan Chapter 154, died March 24.

John R. Herridge, Jr., 71, Texas Chapter 457, died February 16.

Arlon Ray Hiers, 75, Georgia Chapter 1070, died May 30, 2020.

Christine Ann Higgins, 68, New Jersey Chapter 12, died March 15.

David R. Hizer, 71, Michigan Chapter 310, died March 19.

Billy Burton Howard, 76, West Virginia Chapter 1100, died April 25.

Eugene Clarence Huff, 77, Ohio Chapter 857, died March 2.

Bryan H. Hunter, 74, Pennsylvania Chapter 266, died April 10.

Frank Jojola, 78, Donor to Vietnam Veterans of America, died recently.

Joseph Benjamin Jones, Jr., 83, Donor to Vietnam Veterans of America, died January 1, 2013.

Patrick H. Kailing, 71, Kentucky Chapter 454, died April 8.

James Delano Keener, 80, Tennessee Chapter 1073, died April 2.

Lynn Keller, 74, Ohio Chapter 954, died April 14.

Michael Andrew Kelley, 71, at-large Washington, died April 13.

Robert Fulton Kiggans, 73, Ohio Chapter 717, died December 7, 2020.

Robert Francis Knight, 69, Delaware Chapter 1105, died April 24.

Thomas G. Kober, 74, Wisconsin Chapter 236, died April 10.

Keith A. Kulland, 82, North Dakota Chapter 487, died May 1.

Michael Joseph Lamendola, Jr., 76, Vermont Chapter 601, died April 23.

Gordon C. Lane, 73, New York Chapter 103, died February 23.

William H. Lane, 71, Massachusetts Chapter 219, died March 3.

Marlene Jane Laughner, 76, Pennsylvania Chapter 862, died April 14.

James Edward Lavoie, 81, Vermont Chapter 753, died April 29.

Richard G. Lawrence, 72, Pennsylvania Chapter 1008, died November 11, 2020.

Bob Earl Littell, 71, Montana Chapter 234, died March 28.

Thomas Joseph Locastro, Jr., at-large Mississippi, died April 7.

Robert Wesley Lower, 78, South Dakota Chapter 1054, died March 27.

Charles Raymond Lyons, 64, Maryland Chapter 172, died January 29.

Prudence Mildred Lyons, 73, Colorado Chapter 1106, died March 8.

Ronald K. Mangold, 74, Illinois Chapter 534, died April 6, 2020.

John Hugh Mather, 77, Tennessee Chapter 1140, died December 6, 2020.

Paul J. Martinez, 79, New Mexico Chapter 996, died March 15.

James W. Martsh, 72, New Mexico Chapter 996, died March 12.

Gerald Steven Maurin, 76, at-large New Jersey, died April 25, 2020.

Jeffrey Alan McCaw, 70, Pennsylvania Chapter 67, died October 8, 2020.

Randall Elwood McDaniel, 74, Alabama Chapter 416, died January 17.

Quincy Clayton McMillion, 86, West Virginia Chapter 1100, died January 22.

John A. McQuirk, 77, Nevada Chapter 388, died March 28.

Russell Floyd Meadows, 71, Georgia Chapter 1090, died September 23, 2020.

Theodore L. Mitchell, 73, Georgia Chapter 1082, died April 29.

John A. Mozee, Sr., 75, Missouri Chapter 458, died February 19.

Jimmie Dale Murray, 72, Kentucky Chapter 868, died July 18, 2020.

Donald L. Niles, 85, at-large Colorado, died recently.

James O’Dell, 84, Tennessee Chapter 240, died April 15.

Michael Joseph O’Leary, 69, Missouri Chapter 1028, died February 15.

Howard Lee Overbay, 71, Tennessee Chapter 1073, died March 18.

Joseph Michael Palica, 70, New Jersey Chapter 233, died December 21, 2020.

Richard James Palmisano, 75, Missouri Chapter 1028, died February 17.

Andrew Stimson Paterson, Sr., 76, Virginia Chapter 957, died March 21.

Roger L. Patriquin, 84, Vermont Chapter 753, died April 21.

Kenneth John Payne, 74, Florida Chapter 1046, died July 28, 2020.

William Louis Persi, Jr., 71, Missouri Chapter 1014, died January 3.

Lawrence Ivan Podwys, 73, Utah Chapter 1079, died March 16.

Jesse Junior Prather, 71, Ohio Chapter 900, died March 12.

Lawrence Allen Prososki, 76, Michigan Chapter 154, died April 27.

Robert Howard Quinn, Jr., New York Chapter 20, died April 8.

Frank Ramirez, 72, New Mexico Chapter 968, died August 2020.

Danny L. Raney, 70, Illinois Chapter 299, died October 23, 2020.

Paul Francis Rauwald, 75, Wisconsin Chapter 101, died March 20.

Arthur Allan Reese, 71, Minnesota Chapter 470, died July 2, 2020.

Elias J. Rodriguez, 76, Kansas Chapter 75, died March 23.

Herbert Boyd Rogers, Jr., 81, Florida Chapter 1059, died May 17.

Joe Marlan Rough, 74, Oklahoma Chapter 751, died March 21.

Ronald E. Rushia, Sr., 74, New York Chapter 79, died March 22.

Edward David Santiago, 77, at-large Arizona, died July 14, 2020.

David Lee Saum, 75, at-large New Mexico, died September 25, 2020.

Barry Jon Schieb, 77, North Carolina Chapter 124, died March 31, 2020.

Donald Earl Schlotz, 76, at-large California, died February 12.

Charles Lester Seibert, 74, Maryland Chapter 172, died December 18, 2020.

Michael Senitta, Jr., 75, New York Chapter 49, died March 14.

Milburne Chandler Sharpe, 85, Texas Chapter 343, died March 4.

Neal Sharpe, 73, Texas Chapter 1000, died March 11.

Harold Edward Shaw, 71, Illinois Chapter 534, died March 23.

Edward A. Simpson, 75, Tennessee Chapter 1078, died April 21.

Leslie Harold Sinford, 70, Maine Chapter 1044, died March 3.

Frank J. Smith, Sr., 75, Maryland Chapter 965, died April 20.

Willard J. Smith, 67, Wisconsin Chapter 101, died March 19.

Wilfred J. Souza, 73, Hawaii Chapter 858, died March 15.

Earl L. Spencer, 80, Ohio Chapter 709, died March 6.

Michael A. Swanson, 79, Illinois Chapter 299, died February 18.

Steve G. Tefas, 92, Texas Chapter 457, died January 22.

Hershell Glenn Terral, 79, Oklahoma Chapter 751, died March 26.

Wayne Andrew Torrance, 74, Pennsylvania Chapter 862, died April 24.

Kenneth M. Trautman, 78, founding member of New York Chapter 32, died January 21. After enlisting in the Army he was assigned to the 82nd Airborne stateside. Later he was sent to Vietnam and assigned to the 173rd Airborne, where he earned a Bronze Star and participated in the one combat jump in Vietnam. After his tour he returned to the States and was assigned to the 101st Airborne. He served in all three active airborne units in the Vietnam era.